This invention relates to couplings and more particularly to a coupling for interconnecting a trailer and a hand-held two-wheeled cart whereby the trailer may be moved by means of the cart.
Trailers which are towed by motor vehicles usually consist of a box mounted to an axle having a wheel at either end. The trailer has a hitch which has a socket at its forward end and the socket interconnects with a ball on a tongue which is welded to the frame of the vehicle.
A shortcoming of such trailers is that they are difficult to move by hand. It is often more convenient to move them by this means yet it is often impossible to do so. Should it be necessary, for example, to move a trailer a short distance, or move a trailer whose hitch is blocked by some obstruction, it is often more convenient to move them by hand yet the design of the trailer does not usually permit this.
I have found that a trailer can be easily moved by a hand-held two-wheeled cart conventionally used to move appliances and the like if the trailer and cart are interconnected by means of a coupling of my design. The coupling is provided with a recess for connecting it to a cart and a ball for connecting it to the hitch of the trailer. When the trailer and cart are interconnected, the cart can be tipped to raise the hitch. The trailer can then be easily moved by pushing or pulling the cart in the usual manner.
The coupling of my invention interconnects a hand-held two-wheeled cart and a trailer having a hitch provided with a socket for receipt of a ball. The cart has an upper handle and a lower plate on which a load to be carried is seated.
The coupling of my invention comprises a frame having a recess adapted to removably accommodate the outer edge of the plate; a tongue connected to the frame and extending outwardly therefrom; and a ball connected to the tongue. The coupling is arranged and constructed such that the frame can be connected to the lower plate by insertion of the forward edge into the recess and when so connected the coupling can be positioned such that the ball is beneath the socket. When the handle of the cart is tipped backward away from the trailer, the ball rises and enters the socket and lifts the hitch thereby permitting the trailer to be moved by means of the cart.